The Dallas Morning News: Latest News

TxDOT unveils new 'Don't Mess with Texas' ad campaign
01/22/2002
Associated Press

AUSTIN - The "Don't Mess with Texas" campaign is getting downright personal. The
Texas Department of Transportation unveiled a new television campaign Tuesday
that asks, "If someone you love were Texas, would you still litter?"
Four ads will look at the most prevalent trash types, according to TxDOT
research: non-alcoholic beverage containers, fast food waste, personal/household
litter and tobacco litter.
In one television spot, an 18-year-old man tosses a half-full soda cup on a
woman standing in a field. The words "If your mother were Texas, would you still
litter?" appear in black text on the screen.
"What kind of person would throw a soda on their mom? That's rude, crude and
downright socially unacceptable. Obviously it isn't cool to dump a soda on your
mom or your girlfriend or your grandpa or your daughter and likewise, it isn't
cool to dump one on Texas," said Doris Howdeshell, travel division director for
TxDOT.
In another public service announcement, a burly man splats a wrapper with a
half-eaten burger on the dress of a 4-year-old girl. The theme: "If your
daughter was Texas."
Another spot, "If your girlfriend were Texas," features a man dumping an ashtray
full of cigarette butts on his girlfriend's head.
According to TxDOT research, Texans younger than 24 are the state's worst
litters.
The agency has dubbed the group "Generation Litter" or "Gen. L.," as the
department tries to reach out to the group with some of the commercials.
While the amount of trash along Texas roadways has dropped 52 percent since
1995, research shows about one billion bits of debris still accumulates along
Texas roadways each year.
Last year, $37 million was spent cleaning up the mess, TxDOT said.
"That's way too much," Howdeshell said. "We would love to see that $37 million
spent another way."
The "If Your Mother were Texas" public service announcement debuted in movie
theaters last month.
The first television ads were scheduled to air Tuesday. Radio and billboard ads
will start in the spring.

Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/litter_012202early.16dc2.html

© 2001 DallasNews.com

Hmmmmmm..... and to think I was just in Texas, coincidence; I think not [:D]

I always wondered what that meant.

Yep, me too. I was in Dallas TX on business and I saw all these cars with "don't mess with Texas" bumper stickers.  I never got around to asking what do they mean. And now I know! It is a keep Texas beautiful campaign.

Fifteen years ago "Don't Mess With Texas" signs were a popular thing for investment real estate professionals to have stuck on their computer terminals.

I've always liked the anti-litter campaign of [b]DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS[/b]...I've also wondered what sort of message it was sending to other states...ala " Screw with us and we'll shoot ya" ??? [:D]

My all time favorite "Don't Mess With Texas" commercial showed an old 50's model truck rolling down a hilly rural two lane throwing trash everywhere. The next scene shows the B-17 Texas Raider popping up behind the old truck from behind a hill, kinda like "surprise!!" chin mounted 50's pointed right at the truck.

I think the thing that impress me the most about that commercial was the job the pilot of the plane was doing. He was fighting one hell of a cross wind to get it in that position.[^]

Well you just would have to see it sometime. lol

Gopher:

I wrote to the kind folks at Texas DOT and they sent a tape with all the public service announcements related to "Don't Mess With Texas".

The B-17 one is a classic!

My favorite one was the commercial they had last summer that showed the National Guard rounding up litterers and deporting them to Arkansas.

could someone post a link to those comms if there avalible somewhere on the net id love to see em